Youth suicide prevention: a survey and analysis of policies and efforts in the 50 states.

State-level initiatives directed at youth suicide prevention since 1980 were analyzed. During 1992 and 1996, each governor was surveyed regarding his or her state's efforts in youth suicide prevention. Questions pertained to legislation, a mandated or recommended school-based suicide prevention curriculum, funding, a special advisory council, a state plan, the development and dissemination of materials, and assessment. Several states sent examples of their prevention activities, which were reviewed to determine the extent to which they represent conceptually and/or empirically grounded preventive intervention strategies. The number of suicides, suicide rates, and percentage change in rate for youth 15-19 years old were reported by state for the periods 1979-1981 and 1992-1994. The results of a repeated measures 2 x 5 ANOVA revealed that while changes in suicide rates over time were statistically significant, there was no relation between these changes and any of the variables studied. Suggestions for future research on state-level initiatives are presented.